


Part II.5: A Brief Interlude

by Dooka



Series: (just want you to know who i am) [3]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: AKA: What Bangtan Did, Jimin just wanting everyone to be happy, Jung Hoseok slaying as usual, M/M, Mama Bear Jin, Min Yoongi Cares, Multi, Namjoon gettin philsophical, shh don't tell anyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 05:15:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12183600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dooka/pseuds/Dooka
Summary: Because of course they knew, and of course they would help however they could. What else are friends for, after all?OrBangtan is so done.





	Part II.5: A Brief Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> So here we are, back again with another piece of this universe, because apparently I don't know when to stop lol
> 
> I just want to say thanks for sticking with this story, it's been fun, it's been stressful, and it's been a lot of imagining weird shit at like 2 am.
> 
> Thank you to all those who gave kudos and comments and support, I love you all.
> 
> Also, this is probably the last piece I will write of this universe. I want to move on to other projects (time will tell if any of them are finished lol) and I think I've fleshed out all I needed to in this universe. 
> 
> (Also, before I forget, the song is Ease by Troye Sivan)
> 
> Enjoy!

**_Part II.5:_ ** **A Brief Interlude**

 

_Take me back to the basics and the simple life,_

_Tell me all of the things that make you feel at ease,_

_Your touch, my comfort, and my lullaby,_

_Holdin' on tight and sleepin' at night..._

 

**_..._ **

 

“That little.” grumbles Kim Seokjin as he continues his morning beauty routine. “Why I ought to...”

 

“Hyung,” groans Hoseok from his place sprawled on the carpet in the centre of the room.

 

“What does he think he’s doing?” asks Jin, ignoring him.

 

Yes, he loves all his friends, but _God_ do they drive him up the _wall_ sometimes.

 

“We’ve all got our problems. He just needs to figure out how to deal with his.” says Namjoon as he lazily scrolls through his phone from where he’s relaxing at the foot of Jin’s bed, his gangly limbs hanging off the ends.

 

Jin is often surprised at the wisdom contained in the younger boy.

 

They’d met in high school, Jin and Namjoon in the same chemistry class that year.

 

This, of course, led to him meeting Namjoon’s friends: Yoongi from his year and Hoseok from the year under him.

 

This had lead to the whole group being introduced to Hoseok’s dance group friends, middle school kids Jungkook and Jimin, who came with the middle school’s drama club president Taehyung as a package deal.

 

And so they’d become their own little screwed up group: Jin with all his false bravado and unfunny jokes concealing his fear that all he will ever be seen as is a pretty face; Yoongi with his social anxiety and depression and faded dreams; Hoseok with his quick jokes and steady chatter hiding the pain of worrying about his future; Namjoon with his startling wisdom and long nights of working so hard he can’t even see straight let alone walk in enough of a straight line to get back home; Jimin with his sunshine disposition and his brave, cocky attitude hiding layers of insecurities; Taehyung with his fierce loyalty and heart that loves so fiercely that he willingly burns from the inside out without blinking, as long as he can help others; and Jungkook with his shyness and sarcasm hiding a heart that has been thrust into the real world too quickly, only to push him to hide his emotions so far within himself that he doesn’t know how to bring them out anymore.

 

Jin has always felt that he needed to protect the other boys, being the eldest. He’s always seen right through everyone too. But somehow, Namjoon has always stuck by him, supporting him in a way he’s never experienced before. So many times he’s failed in his relationships whether due to just being someone’s pretty face, or just falling out of love. So many times he’s feared he’s failed the others and so many times Namjoon has convinced him he hasn’t by any measure.

 

“That was _deep,_ Namjoonie.” laughs Hoseok, pulling Jin out of his thoughts.

 

“Yah! Piss off,” says Namjoon, launching a pillow at Hoseok and missing by a mile.

 

Hoseok bursts into laughter and Jin smiles warmly at the look on Namjoon’s face. This completely normal moment, showers him with that warm feeling that everything will be okay as long as Namjoon is near. He’s Jin’s grounding force when he feels he might float away; though whether from stress or too many highly strung emotions, Jin isn’t sure.

 

“...You going to get that?” asks Hoseok.

 

Looking up from where he’d been fiddling with his various oils and moisturizers, Jin realizes his phone is ringing shrilly.

 

“Hyung? It’s Jimin.” a wobbly voice says when he picks up.

 

“Jimin-ah? What’s wrong?” he asks, batting away one of his pillows absently, aimed most likely at Hoseok.

 

“I think I’ve made it worse. I don’t...what do I do?” Jimin asks, sounding more than a little shaken.

 

“What are you talking about? Made what worse?” something in his voice must tip off Namjoon, because he immediately stops laughing and looks at him, a question swimming in his eyes. Jin shrugs in response.

 

“Taehyung and Jungkook. You told me to get them to talk, right?”

 

(Jin remembers all those days ago in Taehyung’s once shared kitchen, filled with a few dirty dishes. Starting up some food for Taehyung, he began to wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen. It’s a testament to the group’s close friendship that Jin knew exactly where everything belonged.

 

(That and the various times he’s had to cook for them in this kitchen.)

 

He glanced at the group that had followed him into the kitchen.

 

“We need to fix this.” Yoongi had said quietly ‘I don’t like watching them mope around unhappily,’ is what Jin hears in his tone.

 

“If it’s going to mean anything, it’s gotta be their choice, their move. It’s not our business.” said Namjoon with a raised eyebrow.

 

“We don’t need to interfere as in meddle. We just need to set up a situation in which they can talk it out themselves.” said Jin “They probably won’t for a ridiculously long time otherwise.”

 

“I have an idea. A few weeks from now, so Taetae isn’t suspicious, we just need to get Jungkook to come to our apartment,” said Jimin, gesturing to himself and Yoongi. “We’ll handle the rest.”

 

The boys nodded and filed out of the kitchen, Jimin with Yoongi’s arm around his shoulders.

 

Hoseok shot him a raised eyebrow as he left.

 

“Jin...” said Namjoon

 

“Yeah?” asked Jin

 

“Nothing,” said Namjoon with a radiant smile, his eyes disappearing into slits, “I’m just really glad I met you,”

 

Jin flushed a bright pink that spread down his neck.

 

“Me too.”)

 

“Yeah,” says Jin, pulling himself forcibly from his thoughts “...what about it?”

 

“Yoongi-Hyung and I...we kind of...locked them in the guest room?” It was a question.

 

Jin sighs in exasperation “I’m guessing it didn’t work then, huh? Stubborn assholes.”

 

“We’re not quite sure what happened either. When we got back, Tae was tucked into the bed, and Jungkook was climbing down the tree just outside the window like hell itself was on his ass.”

 

Jin sighs again.

 

Namjoon shoots him a look and Hoseok scrolls through his phone, trying to seem as if he isn’t eavesdropping.

 

“And where is Tae now?” asks Jin, worrying at the hem of his shirt absently.

 

“Tae? He’s not woken up yet. We decided to let him sleep since he’s looked so exhausted lately,” says Jimin, “Sorry, Hyung.”

 

“Well, at least everyone’s still breathing,” Jin replies drily.

 

“See you later, Hyung, Yoongi-Hyung and I are going to spend some more time together before we have to go to work. Maybe we’ll try and cheer up Tae later if he wakes up.”

 

“Bye Jimin-ah.”

 

“See you later, Hyung,”

 

“So, I guess Jimin’s idea didn’t work then?” asks Hoseok as Jin ends the phone call.

 

“As if you weren’t listening in too.” says Namjoon with a fond eyeroll.

 

“If it was so private, Jin would have left the room.” he says simply in reply.

 

“It didn’t work,” says Jin as he moves to sit next to Namjoon on his bed, beauty regime finished.

 

“Now what?” asks Hoseok, flopping back onto the ground, dramatically.

 

“I’m open to suggestions,” says Jin sarcastically. _‘Does he really think I can come up with every crackpot plan?’_ he thinks _‘I mean the majority might have worked before, and I might have thought of the last few but...’_

 

“Let’s go and take care of our boys first.” says Namjoon as he gazes at Jin. Their eyes lock and Jin can see the concern for their two youngest in their depths.

 

‘Okay, mom and dad, I’ll see you later. I have to get to my class. I’m teaching a new combo today.” says Hoseok as he gets up and stretches, breaking the moment.

 

 _‘Since when had it become a moment?’_ thinks Jin, a little startled.

 

“Yah!” says Namjoon, launching a pillow from where it had fallen at his feet. Likely from a previous failed attempt to hit Hoseok.

 

It goes sailing out the door and onto the couch where it lands in place in front of the other pillows.

 

“7.5,” grins Jin, “You get extra points for a nice finish, but your overall form was sloppy.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Namjoon blushes as he rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly.

 

“Come on, let’s go see Tae.” says Jin, turning away because Namjoon is _cute_ and there is only so much of that he can withstand before he gets too distracted to think.

 

“Tomorrow maybe?” asks Namjoon “He’ll probably be at Jimin and Yoongi-Hyung’s place for a while.”

 

“Yes, sir,” says Jin with a smile “Wanna go catch a movie then?”

 

“Sure, why not? I’ve got some time before I have to be at the studio.” smiles Namjoon in return.

 

Taehyung greets them with a smile (if a little wistfully) when they get there.

 

It’s sometime in the afternoon and the sun is still high in the sky despite the cold temperatures and the frost lining the ground. This is the type of whether Jin loves to sit inside and hide from. The things cold weather does to his skin; absolutely horrific.

 

“Hi Taehyung-ah.” says Jin. He feels bad that he couldn’t make it to the cafe in the last little while, busy with a new modelling job he’d done as a little money making task on the side. As an acting teacher used by many an idol agency, he wasn’t paid that little, but at the same time it wasn’t very much. His cosmetics were rather expensive after all, and had to be paid for from somewhere.

 

Taehyung looks tired, the area around his eyes are puffy (hopefully not from crying) and his movements are slow, without the customary bounce in his step. His expression is too serious for his usually cheerful, energetic personality; even when he was exhausted from his cafe job or the small gigs he has had as a radio show host throughout the duration of his broadcasting degree, Taehyung has always seemed to have endless reserves of energy and cheerfulness. Now, he seems not depressed, not sad, but muted somehow, like he’s calling out from underwater. It doesn’t feel right.

 

“How’re you doing?” asks Namjoon quietly, as they enter Taehyung’s apartment.

 

“Okay.” he says dismissively “...want some hot cocoa?”

 

“Yes please.” says Jin as the two boys enter behind Taehyung and settle familiarly on his couch.

 

They drink in comfortable silence, the television some nice, white noise that leaves them feeling at ease. There are no hurt feelings here, no confusion or anger. Only noise.

 

It’s _wonderful_.

 

Jin feels at peace for the first time in a while. _‘I guess I was more stressed out than I thought...’_ thinks Jin. With all his different gigs, (usually at sporadic intervals throughout the day) Jin’s workload has been steadily increasing, making him lose precious beauty rest and piling on the pressure to do more, _be_ more.

 

“So how’s your new song coming along, Hyung?” asks Taehyung after a few moments of relaxed silence, startling Jin out of his thoughts.

 

“Well, this one is also a love song, but it’s slower and softer than the last one I was writing. It’s about someone loving a person a lot, but being unable to show them your true feelings and the you behind the fake persona put out to the world. Maybe it’s looking for understanding or maybe acceptance, but It’s more of an...unconditional love.” says Namjoon thoughtfully as his eyes unfocus and he is dragged into his thoughts.

 

“That sounds great,” says Taehyung softly.

 

“I can't seem to finish it, though.” says Namjoon with narrowed eyes and a tired sigh.

 

“Maybe you just need some inspiration?” asks Taehyung.

 

“Maybe.” replies Namjoon as he smiles sweetly to Jin.

 

 _‘Huh?’_ he thinks. _‘Why look at_ me _?’_

 

“Do you need me to give you two a condom and a room or something?” says Taehyung with an eyebrow raised and his lips twitching upwards in amusement.

 

“Yah!” exclaims Namjoon, a splash of pink tinting his bronze cheeks, an almost  “What the hell are you saying?!”

 

(Jin just hopes that his face isn’t nearly as red as it feels.)

 

Then Taehyung bursts out into peals of laughter, a genuine happiness on his face that Jin hasn’t seen in awhile.

 

Soon they’ve all devolved into the falling-over, tears-leaking-down-your-face, speechless kind of laughter that makes you feel so much better after you’ve done it.

 

Jin is just glad that some colour has returned to Taehyung’s face.

 

(And if he thinks that Namjoon’s face is beautiful when he laughs, then that’s his business.)

 

**_..._ **

 

Let it never be said that Min Yoongi doesn’t care about his friends.

 

Although he may seem lazy and unmotivated most of the time, anyone could tell you that if there’s one thing he wouldn’t mind going that extra mile for, it’s his friends.

 

He’s the silent type, the friend that supports you without saying a word, without having to, most of the time. He’s the friend that will tell it to you straight and brutal and honest, in the way that everyone knows it’s what he believes you need to hear.

 

So when things get complicated for his friends, he sees it as his solemn duty to tell them to _get their shit together already._

 

“Jeon Jungkook,” says Yoongi “We need to talk.”

 

“Hyung?” he asks in reply, his eyes wide and surprised. Yoongi isn’t surprised, if he hadn’t had the key Namjoon had given him, it’s unlikely he would’ve seen Jungkook at all.

 

He never thought he would find Jungkook in this state. His room is a complete disaster zone. Of course, while neither of the boys residing in the apartment could be considered ‘messy’, they wouldn’t exactly be the pictures of cleanliness either. This, however, is something else entirely.

 

Clothes are strewn about the floor, like someone came in and dumped their load of dirty clothes into a hurricane in the center of the room. Bowls and plates that must have once held food litter flat surfaces, and sheets of miscellaneous paper litter any available space. Jungkook himself lies on his bed, legs covered by his blankets and one of Taehyung’s many forgotten hoodies covering his torso. He looks, not pale, but almost washed out, as if he hasn’t moved from his spot in a week.

 

“What did you do?” asks Yoongi calmly as he sits in the only apparently clear space left in the room, the edge of Jungkook’s bed.

 

 _‘Isn’t this where Taehyung always lies?’_ he thinks, _‘These pining dumbasses.’_

 

“What do you mean?” asks Jungkook, as he glances back to his laptop that’s paused in the middle of an anime and perched on one of his textbooks atop the bed.

 

“You know very well what I mean.”

 

“I really wish I didn’t,”

 

“How could you do this to Taehyung? The guy’s crazy about you and you just turn around and throw his feelings for you in his face.”

 

“You think I _don’t know that?!_ ” exclaims Jungkook, his eyes glassy and alight with something, though whether it’s anger or pain Yoongi has no idea.

 

“I’ve never wanted to hurt him. Not ever.”

 

“Then why do this?” Yoongi studies Jungkook’s tense body; although whether it’s taut with anger, pain or frustration he has no idea.

 

“Because I don’t know what to feel or how to do that...love thing.” sighs Jungkook, the tension still just under the surface. Yoongi can see it in the way Jungkook’s arms q

uiver in an obvious effort to keep them from fidgeting uncomfortably.

 

“Meaning?” asks Yoongi with a raised eyebrow, because _what?_

 

“Tae’s...just.. _Tae._ He makes me so happy all the time and I just...I can’t screw that up. Especially if it turns out that how I feel is not... _that_. If he needs time to get over me so that we can still be friends then I’ll give it to him. I just...I can’t lose him.” rambles Jungkook, his eyes fixated on his covers as he twists them around his fists in obvious frustration that he can’t get the words he wants out.

 

“So you’re telling me that even though you _know_ that he likes you, you’re not willing to try for a relationship because you’re _too scared?_ ” asks Yoongi incredulously, as he stares at Jungkook in utter bewilderment.

 

Jeon Jungkook, the golden Maknae who isn’t afraid of anything.

 

‘ _Except, apparently, his feelings_ ’ thinks Yoongi.

 

Resisting the urge to smack some sense into Jungkook, Yoongi snorts in half amusement and half disbelief, then sighs heavily.

 

 _‘Why am I surrounded by idiots’_ he thinks drily _‘I must have been cruel to animals or something in another life.’_

 

“Ding!” he drawls “Well, would you look at that? That would be my _bullshit detector_.”

 

Jungkook gives him a dry look, finally dragging his eyes from his bed. Yoongi resists the urge to smack him in the head, again, (he must look strange flexing his fingers every few minutes during this conversation) and tries not to look too exasperated.

 

“You’re an idiot.” sighs Yoongi longsufferingly.

 

“How did you know you were in love with Jimin?” asks Jungkook. It’s always hard to remember, with Jungkook’s towering height and ability to do basically anything he puts his mind to, that really underneath it all is still that young boy who really doesn’t have much of an idea of anything.

 

Yoongi’s thoughts turn to Jimin, with his smiles like sunshine and the graceful way in which he moves, the way the light hits his hair at just the right angle making his soft locks glow, his confidence and elegance when dancing, and the way he always just seems to understand what Yoongi is trying to say, even without words. More than that, he thinks of long nights lying awake and trying to suss out his feelings. Did he want to kiss Jimin? Is it just that he really enjoys spending time with him?

 

Really though, his relationship with Jimin has just always been so _easy_ , they fit together like two halves of a whole and balance each other out in a way that feels like they’ve been doing it all their lives.

 

“I just kind of...” Yoongi pauses, trying to find the right words to describe it, as if it can be neatly summed up in just a few words. “I just knew that there was no place I would rather be than next to him.”

 

Jungkook is quiet for a moment, his eyes searching Yoongi’s. Whatever he’s looking for, he seems to find it, and he relaxes, the tension leaving his shoulders with a visible expelling of air.

 

“What do I do?” he breathes quietly, “I don’t know how to fix this.”

 

“I’m probably not the one you should be asking.” replies Yoongi with a shrug, but he knows he’s right, if the kid is looking for a conversation where Yoongi tells him how to recognize and deal with his feelings, then he’s deluded. Jungkook knows his track record with this sort of thing, Jungkook’s mimics his own, after all.

 

“I’m going to the studio now. I hope you sort out your shit.”

 

And with that, Yoongi turns tail and saunters out the door.

 

**_..._ **

 

“Okay, everyone, you’re doing pretty well, so why don’t we take a break now? We’ll continue in about 10 minutes.”

 

Hoseok is generally a happy person. Although easily irritated, he doesn’t get truly angry, really.

 

Well, not recently enough that he can recall, anyways.

 

But as Hoseok unlocks his phone to check his messages (as he’d neglected to do before practice, seeing as he was already running a little late.) briefly so he can get back to choreographing the next part of this class’ dance, a plethora of messages come streaming in from all of his best friends.

 

They range from informative (Yoongi and Jin) to panicky (Jimin) to resigned (Namjoon), he can almost hear Yoongi’s grumbling, Jimin’s fluttering, Jin’s worry and Namjoon’s concern, as if they were in the room with him.

 

“They’re all idiots!” he exclaims with an incredulous laugh as his class begins to file out of the room.

 

A million years ago, he’d witnessed the introduction of two idiots. A million years ago, he’d watched them fall in love with each other, the attraction as sure and as obvious as Yoongi and Jimin, their affection as deep and unwavering as Jin and Namjoon.

 

Hoseok resists the urge to facepalm, or better yet, go up to Jeon Jungkook and knock some sense into his thick head. He knows that Jimin’s plan to force some Jungkook and Taehyung to talk hadn’t worked, but to this extent? Was Taehyung actually depressed? Kim Taehyung? With the stars in his eyes and the whole galaxy in his brain?

 

The remaining students look at him a little weirdly, obviously curious about what has caused their dance teacher to look as though he is seconds away from a mental break down. Hoseok pays them no mind, the idiots take priority over all else, as everyone in the group always has. Especially to Hoseok.

 

As the connecting point between all of the others, predictably, he probably knows them the best; their behaviours around each other, and their subtle subconscious interactions.

 

(Okay, maybe not more than Jin, but Jin has his freaky _mama bear_ mojo going on, so he doesn’t count.)

 

“Um...Jung Hoseok-ssi?” asks a timid boy from his class “Who’s an idiot?”

 

“All of them, my dumbass, oblivious friends.” grumbles Hoseok.

 

“Oh...okay.” the boy mumbles before he wanders back to his friends awkwardly.

 

Hoseok doesn’t notice, too wrapped up in his thoughts as he is.

 

“I can’t believe how dense he is! They’ve literally been in love for forever. What is his problem?!” he all but growls. He ignores how he’d been bothered about Jin saying exactly the same, just that morning.

 

Suddenly standing abruptly and picking a song from his angry playlist on his phone, he begins to choreograph a new dance full of frustration and tension.

 

All of the dancers quickly leave until the break is over. No one wants to have Hoseok’s wrath focussed upon them. They’ve witnessed Hoseok annoyed many times, as he is easily irritated, but they’ve never seen him anywhere near anything resembling true anger.

 

It’s a sight none of them are eager to see again.

 

(Hoseok decides to go and deal with them later. He can only handle so much idiocy in a day. Besides, he needs a moment to cool down and get rid of his desire to strangle them for being idiots)

 

**_..._ **

 

While his friends are great and all, sometimes, Namjoon really could use a break from everything they put him through. The drama, the tears, the fights, the shitty flings, the 3 a.m. calls for booze and relationship advice.

 

(But really, he’d never have them any other way.)

 

Though not the eldest member of their little group of friends, Namjoon has always felt partially responsible for the others. As that one genius kid in all the advanced math and science classes, he’s always tried to come across as more mature to fit in better. Watching Jin try to take care of the others, holding his burdens along with everyone else’s makes Namjoon feel as though he should take some of the load. If no one else can, then _he_ will.

 

But watching Taehyung fall apart in the awkward aftermath of his confession is killing Jin, and so it’s killing him too. But unlike Jin, Namjoon has never been the type to coax the issue and all its details out of a person. He has always been the kind of person to wait until the other person decided to speak first.

 

“Hyung?” asks Taehyung.

 

It’s just the two of them now, Jin having had to duck out to teach one of his acting students some time ago. It’s almost unsettling, seeing Taehyung looking at him so seriously, like all those other times when he makes strangely astute observations.

 

(Well, that’s a little unfair. Taehyung is brilliant and incredibly observant, even if he doesn’t always act like he is. _‘He probably should have been an actor or a television personality by now’_ muses Namjoon.)

 

“Yeah?” he asks

 

“How do you do live like this?”

 

There are many answers to this question. But somehow, Namjoon knows what he means. While he’s never been one to win any awards in providing emotional comfort, or knowing exactly what to say to make things better (that’s more Jin’s area of expertise, and part of the reason they work so well together, picking up where the other leaves off), but he thinks that this time he somehow just knows.

 

(He sometimes wonders if his awkwardness with words is due to his almost monstrous ability to produce lyrics for songs. He can write a string of lyrics that perfectly describe the anguish of a breakup, or capture the happiness and hardships of a relationship in the nuances of a song, but that doesn’t mean it translates to real life. Although, really, maybe it is real life. The songs certainly feel real enough.)

 

“Jin is...Jin.” Namjoon says slowly, trying to find the words to describe his feelings for Jin, “...and really, in anyway he’ll have me, with whatever he’s willing to give, I just want to be there. Whether that means I’ll be his best friend, his brother or his boyfriend, it doesn’t really make a difference to me. I’m not about to let societal norms dictate how I should love people. As long as they don’t try to stop me from loving him, I don’t really care for labels.”

 

Taehyung studies Namjoon’s face for a long, long moment. Namjoon has no way of telling what goes on inside his head. Though he has long since figured out how most of the boys think and react to certain things, Taehyung has always been somewhat of a mystery to him.

 

“Wow, you’re so sappy, Hyung” asks Taehyung with a smile. It’s not his usual boxy grin, but it isn’t the face of a depressed young boy either.

 

“Oh, shut up. What is this? I feel like that meme; where you come out to have a good time and feel attacked.” he says, grumbling halfheartedly in return. It’s a relief to see him smiling. Everyone has noticed his smiles vanishing, so it’s good to know that Taehyung hasn’t become _totally_ dependent on Jungkook.

 

(Which he knows isn’t fair. They’re no more co-dependent than him and Jin or Yoongi and Jimin. They just seem to always draw comfort and happiness from each other, not to the extent of need to survive, necessarily. But to the point that they all knew that life wouldn’t be the same without each other.)

 

Taehyung just grins mischievously, which, _‘oh god,’_

 

“Oh God.”

 

Suddenly Taehyung is right in front of him, wielding a pillow and laughing as he slams it into Namjoon again and again. Grabbing the pillow placed next to him, he begins to fight back. Soon they’re chasing each other around the house, Taehyung’s face flushed with exhilaration and laughter ringing throughout the place once again.

 

The sun is beginning to set by the time they finally run out of steam and collapse into giggly heaps on the couches, puffing out breaths and falling into fits of giggles whenever they make eye contact.

 

He’s not sure if the television had been left on from earlier, or if Taehyung had turned it on sometime while he was still laughing, but silence descends upon them again and they turn their attention to the television. Namjoon sighs contentedly.

 

“Thanks.” says Taehyung, his eyes still on the television, but his shoulders aren’t as hunched as before, as if a weight has been lifted off of them

 

(Yeah, he wouldn’t trade his friends for anything.)

 

**_..._ **

 

Jimin wonders if she notices. As Jungkook’s “girlfriend” she should know him better than anyone else, and yet she never seems to notice how Jungkook’s eyes stray to Taehyung as if drawn by a magnet, or how he always seems to bring the conversation back around to something they did, or how their looks and touches linger just a touch too long to simply be friendly affection, or even how they behave around each other as opposed to other people, as if the world has stopped just for the two of them and nothing else matters; has ever mattered.

 

He thinks that she must know, somehow, in a place she won’t acknowledge, that it had always been Taehyung and Jungkook, was always going to be Taehyung and Jungkook.

 

He feels bad for her; pities her a little. He wants to tell her the truth, to spare them all the heartache and drama that inevitably come with love triangles and unrequited love.

 

But he looks at Taehyung, who is so strong, so brave, so loving. He looks at Jungkook, who is so unsure, and so confused, and all in all, just so in denial that it makes him angry.

 

He looks at Yejin, who, despite likely knowing _exactly_ where this is headed, still stays with Jungkook anyways, who gives into her own selfish desires and keeps Jungkook despite the lack of love and affection between them. Originally, mostly from his side, and more recently from them both.

 

Jimin knows that there is a collision ahead for all of them, he just hopes it doesn’t all blow up in their faces.

 

Until it does.

 

Jimin is angry at first, more angry than he’s been in years, and it’s then that he realizes how blind they are.

 

He watches them hurt each other, and waits for his moment.

 

He gives Taehyung kind words and advice and hopes to God that something will work out.

 

He lets Yoongi handle Jungkook.

 

While it’s always been easy for him and Taehyung to connect and understand each other, Jungkook has always been something of a mystery to Jimin. On one hand, he is the maknae, so young and unsure of himself. It’s clear to Jimin that the kid has some demons gnawing on his heart and mind, but he leaves it be, as he knows that Jungkook will open up to one of them eventually, On the other hand, he is sweet and competitive and annoying and everything that reminds him near constantly of Jihyun.

 

“Jiminie?” calls Yoongi, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“Hyung” smiles Jimin brightly, because if there is one thing that can bring him out of his darker thoughts, it’s Yoongi.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

Yoongi walks into the living room, dropping his bag haphazardly on the carpet and flopping onto the couch. He sinks into the couch, wrapping his arms around Jimin from behind and bringing him with him.

 

“How was work?” asks Jimin instead of replying

 

“It was fine.” shrugs Yoongi “Got a lot done.”

 

They sit in silence, the variety show that Jimin had been pretending to watch still playing in the background.

 

“Do you think that they’ll be okay?” asks Jimin, being lulled to sleep to the rhythm of Yoongi’s gentle breaths, fanning out on the top of his head.

 

“Yeah” says Yoongi “Jungkook has finally realized, I think.”

 

“So you finally talked to him? Tae is being really stubborn. I think he thinks there’s no hope.”

 

“Yeah I did.” Yoongi sighs tiredly “He’s...scared, I think”

 

“Jungkookie is?”

 

“Yes,” Yoongi presses a kiss to the top of his head

 

“Love you, Hyung” yawns Jimin sleepily, snuggling closer.

 

“Love you, too, Jiminie” he hears Yoongi mumble fondly.

 

The last thing he feels are Yoongi’s lips on his forehead.

 

‘ _Yeah,_ ’ he thinks ‘ _they’ll figure it out._ ’

 

(And they did).


End file.
